Portable elevator



Il: 'Il

Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,406. S. MILLS.

PORTABLE ELEvMoR.

FILED FEB. I9, 1920. y 2 SHEETSMSHEET I.

OOO

anooool Feb. 13, 1923. f 1,445,40f5.

S. MILLS.

PORTABLE ELEVATOR.

FILED FEB.19,1920. z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented heb., i3, i923.

are

arras or ONE-HELE ro .aLEEE-n JUHNSON, OF IJANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

PORTABLE EEEvnToE.

j application inea February 1e, `i920.4

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l land, residing at ltGrasinere Street, Long- 5 sight, `ll/ilanchester, in the county of Lancaster, llngland, have invented new and useful improvements in vor Connectedy `with Portable Elevators, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to improvements in or connected :with portable elevating and conveying or unloading apparatus such as are suitable for lifting or dealing with slack coal, sand, gravel, china clay, and such like, contained in barges, wagons, etc., or which requires to be lifted or elevated from a position in some cases from below a roadway,

platform, wharf, siding or elsewhere.

In such apparatus it is known to use an endless chain ofbuckets which in travelling around,pickup and lift. the material and dischargesame yonto a travelling belt or into a receptacle, and, the noveltyv of this invenj tion consists in supporting the endless chain of` buckets upon an adjustable or slidable,

boomer on an adjustable or slidablel support whereby the chain of buckets can be lowered or raised as required so as to operatebelow or above the level at which the belt or re-V ceiver is disposed. In connection with'such adjustable boom, hand operated means are provided which can be actuated to lower or raise the adjustable or slidable boom the latter being provided with guiding means 554 which engage suitable fixed slides orsupports Thus, the position of the endless chain of bucketswith respect to' the material to be dealt with can be regulated.

The attached drawingsillustrate a suit- 40 able' form of the invention as applied to-'a portable conveyor iitted with an endless conveying belt whichtransports the material tothe desired point.

InV the said drawings l5 i F ig. l is an endelevation showingthe adjustable or slidable boom j carrying the'endless chain of buckets and other features, the portable conveyor vstri'icture being broken in' length. f i

Fig. 2 is a'broken perspective view of the chuteswhich aref movable with `the adjustable booml. f

Fig. 3 shows' in detail a modified driving 'arrangement for thesha'lt .which actu'ates the chain of bucketsorsco'ops. l

l Sinner MILLs, a sub-il ject of the lingof Great Britain and `lie,v

serial no. 359,844.

`Fig. 4i shows a front elevation of the adj ustahle boom, the frame-'work supports, and other features.

Fig. 5 is a detail variation ofthe raising and lowering gear for the adjustable boom. te

lffig G shows a section of the adjustable boom slide and the guiffling parts taken on the line l-l Fig. 4. j

Fig, 7 isamodiiication ofthe construction shown in Fig, 6. j

Fig, 8 shows a separate view of the framewor; which helps to support the endless chain of buckets and forms part of the adjustable boom.' j i i se is made of a portable type of elevator of suitable construction, and which is marked A. v,This can be'built up from lengths of angle and channel sections or of frame and lattice work, and is mounted on road wheels A and provided with tubular stays A2 by 75 which the complete conveyor' A can be readily inoved about. A conveyor belt A with lags iitfpasses over rollers A in cases where it is desired to transport the materiallifted and dropjied by the cndlesschain of buckets to the rear or to carry the material into wagons or receptacles.` or to dump same in. a suitable spot. The front frame-work of the elevator A is strongly designed in triangular orot-her fashion as shown, and the bottom stay A is arranged suiiiciently above ythe ground level as will allow the slidable boom when the elevator is wheeled forward to over any coping Yor obstruction of ordinary height. i The elevator structure to support the adjustable boom has stays or fixed lower guides, these being shown 'in the drawings (see F 6) as of angle-iron and marked c, They are rigidly fixed `or frained-upand disposed atan angle to the vertical so as to f forni the lower half slides or guides for the adjustable boom which carries the chain of buckets. Resting on the `angleiron lengths a are narrow tiatinetal lengths (1, whicharefspaciug pieces, and over such narrow flat metal lengths are wider plates a2 the three lengths a, a', anda being secured together by bolts a3. Three such elements on either side produce a proper slide orguide for theadjustable boom. lThis latter consists of shorter lengths of metal of 'l' section or of structures having projecting ledges to engage the slides before inenj This chaine can be constitute the adjustable` boom and are braced or connected together by cross-plates 7) a rigid connection being madenby` apply-4 j and bolts b3' ing short stiffening plates b2 which pass through all three elements on each side, To the cr ss-plates b we fix two lengths'd df angle-iron these being held by small'clamping plates c iixedjby bolts c2.

'llhe two lengths of angle-iron c, care spaced apart'` and stiffened or braced by brackets 0,"0.' To the T lengths 7) are fixed plates fr" which support bearingsY b for the sha-ft al which carries the sprocket wheel d1 and theI chain wheeler?? Thus the angle-iron lengths c andthe plates Z1, V carry the wheels bs, bg, and al over which works the chainV e to which are attached the elevating buckets. The wheels DS 58 are plain metal wheels turning on' axles as shown and the brackets l supporting the centre wheel are made adjustable so as to affect the cha-in e. of any appropriate type and carries the buckets and is driven by the sprocket wheel Zl on the shaft CZ upon which the driven chain wheel (Z2` is fixed, the

latter, inFig. l, being shown as actuated bya 'chain g from an electric motor (not shown) or other source of power. The

chain g is required to be sufficiently flexible in its'length to compensate for any requisite movement of the 'adjustable boom and a jockey. gear wheel or loaded lever may act with ythe stretch of chain. lu lieu of a chain drive, the arrangement indicated by Fig. 3 may be used wherein a bevel wheel Zt is fixed on the shaft d and also a, swivelling hanger d, a small bevel d" attachedl to a shaft ZT finding a bearingin such swivelling hanger di A length of such shaft d? is irregular in cross-section and lits in and is slidable in' a driven sleeve ZS suoli vsleeve being so shaped as to preserve a. driving connection, the arrangement being a telescopic one. `Any movement downwardsof the shaft ai (following movement of the adjustable boom) withdraws said irregularshaft di slightly outwards, in like manner elevation of the shaft (Z pushing inwards the said irregular shaft. In this manner ua proper driving connection can be preserved no matterfwhat the position of the adjustable boom.

An over-ow chute 7b is fitted in brackets attached to the adjustable `boom 'and yso moves` with the latter, the drawings Figs. l and 2 ,showing an axle supporth1 which journals .inbracketSi/ To 'the adjustable or slidable attached flexible vties such as wire ropes z' fixed at the points 47, and which wire ropes i areled over runners i?, `to the shaft boom B are 3. supported in brackets z'fgin ytheconyeyor carriage'. A removable'lever handle i4 can be applied to the squarred endl of the'shaft by which such shaft canbe.. turned. to raise, or lower the adjustable onslidable boom. A ratchet and pawl mechanism if is provided which serves to hold the adjustable or sliding boonrin any elevated position. l By releasing fthe -pawl, the adjustable or sliding boom B can be lowered to any extentl within'` the, "range provided. instead of connecting the wire rope 2 to the winding sha-ft fi said rope ,i may bey con nected to a ydrum on the shaft i, this shaft t" having a large pinion 7 which is actuated' byfja small-pinion i iiredbn the winding shaft f/F. `The winding handle 4 is applied-to the shaft if and ratchet mechanism-'itis used. This modification is clearlyvtindicated by the detail Fig'. i

By actuating the windingshaftfz3 in one direction or the other, are wound or unwound and so raiseorlower the adjustable boom inV its! fined guiding slides. is an examplainthe unloading of a barge, theadjustable orslidingboom' B can be lowered'as required as the contents of the barge are removed, thevmeans indicated providing for the setting of the endless-,chain of buckets to the materia-Las required. ln like manner the adjustable or slidable booin can be set for fthe buckets to workat a level higherthan the roadlevelA on which` the wheelsli` rest, and, yasinroadsare made, the 'completerl conveyor. can` be imowed. in as the work is performed: i `ltis clearthatthe power 'to` fully elevaterthe adjustablmor sliding boom affords facilities for moving the completeelevator from., onelposition to another.` i

A chute or, guide suchaswis vfit'fllfor the bucl'rets to" tip into and such chute drects the materiallifted `ontofthe conveyor belt A3, or onto the'flo'or, or intoI receptacles,

' or otherwise.

The mechanism sett, forth allows of 4` the automatic transferring ,ofl loose 0r small ina-v terial frombarges, railway .trucks, or hop? pers, because the buckets on' thei/chainsupported by the, adjustable" or canV reach down according .to ,adj ustrnent below the grounch platform, o rqworking level; or be otherwise set.: llithqtheimproved elevator above describedlshovelling is reducedto arnin'innurn.V

`By vthe use of an adjustable or slidable boom` capable of `being! A set doy i provided mechanism itis-possible to remove in'terial in easy fashion starting at thegto j and working' downl to ythejbottogin as th i endless bucket elevator,can be moved ,or set to its work b hand as required andreadi-ly combined. with. almost any beltory otherjconveying systeinwhich is capable-ofhandling the material tipped bythe traveling-buckets.

`the fiexiblewires fi, y

or adjustment;

j ture,

ineen-oc It is clear the manner of supporting and guiding yan adjustable boom may be varied as also the means for effecting its movement for example, the latter may be done by lever and link mechanism or by gearing, the .provision of an adjustable boom being the important feature.

"lhe part marked Z is a yoke for staying the built-up uprights supporting the adjustable boom. Stays such as m used tc brace up the yoke Z and are connected to the yoke andato the trame-Work of the portable elevator A.

I declare that what I claim is:

i. A. portable conveyor j comprising a trame, wheels therefor, fixed guides carried by said traine, slideways in the fixed guides, a slidable boom engaging' said guides, and disposed at an angle to the vertical, chain wheels on the boom, an endless chain engaging said Wheels, a plurality of buckets on the chain, means for raising and lowering the slidable boom, consisting et a flexible connection, means for retaining said boom at any vposition of adjustment consisting of a ratchet wheel and driving mechanism for carrying the buckets.`

2. A portable conveyor, consisting of a built-up structure, Wheels for such struca vertical framecarried by the strucan inclined frame forward thereof,

pavvl, and actuating the chain ture,

angle-iron slideways carried by the frame.y a slidable boom, extensions from the boom engaging the slideways, sprocket wheels on 'the slidable boom, a guide Wheel on the boom, an endless chain engaging the sprocket Wheels, a plurality of buckets on the chain, means for driving the upper sprocket Wheel, a chute carried by said boom and slidable therewith7 a flexible connection from the slidable boom, a hand Wheel and ya ratchet Wheel and pawl for holding the slidable boom in any adjusted position as set forth.

` 3. A portable. conveying prising a Wheeled frame, an inclined frame carried thereby and having slideways formed thereon7 a slidable boom having angle plates in engagement with said slide- Ways, transverse supporting members se- Lcured to said boom, Wheels mounted thereon, a powerdriven sprocket Wheel carried by the boom, an endless chain engaging said Wheels and sprocket Wheel and carrying ya plurality of buckets, a hand operated gear for adjusting said boom on its slideways, a flexible connection between said gear and boom, ratchet mechanism for retaining said boom in adjusted position, and chutes carried by said boom and slidable therewith. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

SIDNEY MILLS.

apparatus, com- 

